Well, there's a perfectly good explanation for the upset stomach. I have a self curing form of hepatitis. Most likely it's Hep E as I have an immunization for Hep A. Jaundice is a sign of hepatitis and so I have that as well.
I have had some tests to confirm it and will find out if it is A or E very shortly. However, both go away on their own in time and it takes about 2-3 weeks of real rest.
So, I have been sleeping and laying about in my apartment for a few days. I'll have to give myself some projects so that I don't get really bored. Basically, I feel slightly nauseous all of the time and very lathargic and sleepy. Any sudden movement increases the nausea so I just need to move slowly for awhile.
It's a great opportunity to catch up on reading and computer projects. It's tricky not to be able to excersise but I think I'll get strength back slowly and will be able to do bits here and there in my apartment.
As of now, I have no idea what my students will do for 2 to 3 weeks. That's a long time!!! AND, it's their money that they have invested in this program. I'm brain storming some projects to give them from afar. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear it.
Take care y'all, will write again and tell you all about the Indian medical system before too long:)
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
tastes and smells
Well, I have a bout of stomach upset. This is the second time since I've arrived. I'm not surprised though as my stomach has gotten more sensitive over the years. I've been nauseous for four days now. So....this is a great time to write about the smells of India since I am EXTRA sensitive right now.
I'm sure that you can all guesse what smells stand out the most. It hasn't bothered me much at all as it just seems natural here. But I'm noticing it more now that I am sick.
Street dog poo and cow poo is, of course, all about. But, there are also large strips of sidewalk that somehow have been designated as toilet areas. There are lots of public washrooms around and Mumbai is really great for that. BUT there are just sooooo many people and not everyone is going to bother lining up for a toilet. In a "shanty town" area, it makes more sense to walk up to the sidewalk to do ones business rather than allowing it all to collect inside the little towns made of bricks, cloth and tin.
Melissa, Che and I have named these sidewalks "shit strip".
Today, I was trying to not throw up during my bumpy rickshaw ride home. Then, my driver decided to pull up to a shit strip and do his thing. I thought I was going to lose my cookies right there inside his rickshaw as the smell wafted over me.
Haha, I'm just such a North American wimp. Any Indian's immune system could crush mine just by looking at it. Anyway, we all know that we don't squat enough in North America. All the squatting keeps backs healthy and hips lose here so.....there ya go.
Anyway....moving right along. Allow me to tell you about PANI PURI. MMMMMMM. I can talk about it even when I am sick.
Pani Puri is the food of Mumbai. Every state in India has a dance form and every city has a food. Pani Puri is eaten hovered around a little stand on the street. One doesn't have to travel more than a few metres to find it. There are three components: a deep fried, round bread shell; a type of bean and a spicey/ sweet sauce. The vendor who makes it takes the small shell, fills it with beans and dunks it in the sauce and then hands it to the customer. Each customer gets 7 pani puris and the vendor serves them one at a time to about 6 customers at once. So, one gets the food in their cup and then eats it and puts their cup out to get the next one.
It's the PERFECT snack food. It's street food at it's finest. It's sooooo grab and go and just so handy. Like the rickshaws, like lime juice stands, like pooping on the sidewalk, like so many things here. Just grab it, buy it, do it and go:)
AND, there isn't any waste because either people eat it out of their own little cup or a glass saucer which the vendor then takes back and washes for the next person.
Unfortunately, I'm too wimpy for all the street food and so far...it's made me barf (though I still eat it now and then). BUT, Che has a stomach of steal and he is able to eat everything. JELOUS!! At least we all can get a review from Che.
Good food, bad smells, lots of laughs;)
I'm sure that you can all guesse what smells stand out the most. It hasn't bothered me much at all as it just seems natural here. But I'm noticing it more now that I am sick.
Street dog poo and cow poo is, of course, all about. But, there are also large strips of sidewalk that somehow have been designated as toilet areas. There are lots of public washrooms around and Mumbai is really great for that. BUT there are just sooooo many people and not everyone is going to bother lining up for a toilet. In a "shanty town" area, it makes more sense to walk up to the sidewalk to do ones business rather than allowing it all to collect inside the little towns made of bricks, cloth and tin.
Melissa, Che and I have named these sidewalks "shit strip".
Today, I was trying to not throw up during my bumpy rickshaw ride home. Then, my driver decided to pull up to a shit strip and do his thing. I thought I was going to lose my cookies right there inside his rickshaw as the smell wafted over me.
Haha, I'm just such a North American wimp. Any Indian's immune system could crush mine just by looking at it. Anyway, we all know that we don't squat enough in North America. All the squatting keeps backs healthy and hips lose here so.....there ya go.
Anyway....moving right along. Allow me to tell you about PANI PURI. MMMMMMM. I can talk about it even when I am sick.
Pani Puri is the food of Mumbai. Every state in India has a dance form and every city has a food. Pani Puri is eaten hovered around a little stand on the street. One doesn't have to travel more than a few metres to find it. There are three components: a deep fried, round bread shell; a type of bean and a spicey/ sweet sauce. The vendor who makes it takes the small shell, fills it with beans and dunks it in the sauce and then hands it to the customer. Each customer gets 7 pani puris and the vendor serves them one at a time to about 6 customers at once. So, one gets the food in their cup and then eats it and puts their cup out to get the next one.
It's the PERFECT snack food. It's street food at it's finest. It's sooooo grab and go and just so handy. Like the rickshaws, like lime juice stands, like pooping on the sidewalk, like so many things here. Just grab it, buy it, do it and go:)
AND, there isn't any waste because either people eat it out of their own little cup or a glass saucer which the vendor then takes back and washes for the next person.
Unfortunately, I'm too wimpy for all the street food and so far...it's made me barf (though I still eat it now and then). BUT, Che has a stomach of steal and he is able to eat everything. JELOUS!! At least we all can get a review from Che.
Good food, bad smells, lots of laughs;)
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
A picture is worth... a very long plane ride
Ok, here is the link to some photos for real this time. I have WAY more to post but the internet has been cutting in and out so it's been tricky to get them all posted to flickr. More to come!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirsten-indiatrip/5422120982/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirsten-indiatrip/5422120982/
Monday, February 14, 2011
getting to know you....
Yo peeps...are you out there?
Yes, SOME of you have responded to my posts via e-mail, comments, Facebook etc. and I really appreciate it. The rest of you....what is your excuse huh? Sure, you are busy building your businesses, relationships, families, yoga practices and new homes but if you haven't noticed, I'm in India. I'm having a great time but nonetheless a foreign country in not one's own country and I want to connect with you all so that I can share my experiences, remember that I have a life at home and feel that grounding that all you wonderful friends give me. So....get on those comments now you hear. It'll be a good thing for me AND you because trust me...you don't want to piss off a ballet teacher;)
So HERE IT IS FOLKS, a new entry.
These are my latest observations about Mumbai. It is difficult to understand if these things are actually characteristics of this city or if they are conclusions based on my own reactions. In any case, this is how I feel here. I feel free.
India is so free! People here cross the street and drive whenever and wherever they can. They talk to each other without hesitation or judgement. Here, I shop in stores, on the street and everywhere. There is always a rickshaw to drive me wherever. If I don't want to pay for one, there is the train or the busses which are easy to get to and go frequently. If I get lost, I ask a stranger and they help me. No problem.
There are less laws in day to day life here. If 12 men decide to fill a pick up truck with goods and then pile on top of it and all ride home clinging to parts of the truck...so be it. If one falls off well....so be it as well. It's their decision, no one is going to tell them not to. Is there anyone else out there who has noticed this about the culture here?
There is also alot of acceptance here. I never feel judged for being myself; I do always feel a desire to be polite and courteous, but I never feel pressured. For example, my roomate noticed that he passed a man the other day who was standing on the side of the road eating street food. This man was wearing a tiny plastic bag on his head. The bag was so small that he had stretched it and barely squeezed the side of his head into it. He had no explanation as to why he wanted to wear a tiny plastic bag and no one was looking at him strangely. There was no need to explain; there was no judgement. It just was the way it was.
I could go on about that, but I want to talk about my students.
This week, there was a Brian Adams concert in town. Shiamak and his company performed there. They are a very busy company with lots of shows and events. Shiamak runs his own performance career, his company, a school with venues all over India, a youth company, a pre-professional training program AND brings in international teachers to help lift up the technical training of his dancers. There is always something going on.
My students have optional jazz and yoga class daily and mandetory ballet and "Shiamak Style" dance. Many of them are in college full time so the optional classes are for those who can make it.
Out of the 60 students, about three of them have had substantial ballet training. The rest are beginners. Ballet is not an easy thing to perfect if beginning at 20 years of age...it's VERY hard to grasp it. Yet, I want them to understand the processes that has to happen in their bodies for a ballet line to appear. This is even more of a challenge for me as I am a contemporary dancer. Haha, challenges all 'round. I love it. I love the challenge. I love the students.
There is so much invovled with learning how to be a dancer. It's so much more than time, space and quality. One needs to learn how to be in class, how to work, how to address fellow students and the teacher, how to create a home practice for themselves and how to always keep their instrument in tune. As many of my students are beginners, they are learning all of this at once within their jam paked year long program.
It's fascinating to watch their bodies and brains negotiate all the information. I completely don't understand what makes one student get something while all the rest struggle. I have students who seemed to walk into class intuitively understanding a strong vertical and horizontal pull in their bodies. I have others who are still understanding what verticality is. It's an amazing opportunity to work with a large group of people who are all new to this form and who are all around the same age.
It's also fascinating to work with Indian bodies and brains. I'm not going to go on about the natural ability of some of my students. Some of the lines that they have available to them boggles my mind: long achilles, turned out hips, ballet feet, legs for days. There are moments throughout class where various students will suddenly discover how to execute something and poof.... they look like they've being doing ballet since they were 5.
As for myself, I am learning to truely ask for what I need to see in class. I'm learning to be firm yet kind and to define boundaries. I need them to take on the work, to think ahead and to be absolutely respectful. It is what is required in ballet class and I'm learing to insist on it.
Anyway, blah blah, I think I am still in teacher mode. So much to the whole thing.
In any case, still having a great time and learning tonnes. Can't wait to catch up with you all!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Lovely Land
Before I left for this adventure, everyone said that I was going to love India. I love it. There are many things that I enjoy in life; things that are interesting to me and also things that enrich my life from day to day in Canada. But it is obvious to me that I love this place, real love.
I got a massage the other day for about $12. I couldn't believe how good it was. It was a 40 minute head neck and back massage. It was one of the best massages I've ever received.
Two days ago I got fed up with my laptop. It's had a broken mouse, speakers and disc drive for a long time. I've taken it to a few places in Canada and haven't actually managed to get it fixed for a price that I could afford.
I passed by a store with a sign saying they fix laptops. Took my computer in, two days later they returned it to me with everything working for the low price of only $140. They showed me how it all worked, what they installed and then they wrapped it up to return it to me all clean and tidy.
Of course, I am living in a really nice area where there is everything at my finger tips and I am loving my job. That could have a large part to do with how much I am enjoying this place.
I I have been going for runs at any time- early morning, late evening. It's fine. I feel safe because there are always people out and about. I'll see families strolling along the road late in the evening and early morning joggers up before work starts. It's just always full of life here.
There's also a courteousy that I really appreciate. Today, I mentioned barely out loud that I hadn't brought enough food with me for my teaching day. A student nipped out and bought me a sandwich without me even asking. How curteous and kind, how thoughtful.
Sigh. Come visit India if you can. It's lovely here.
I got a massage the other day for about $12. I couldn't believe how good it was. It was a 40 minute head neck and back massage. It was one of the best massages I've ever received.
Two days ago I got fed up with my laptop. It's had a broken mouse, speakers and disc drive for a long time. I've taken it to a few places in Canada and haven't actually managed to get it fixed for a price that I could afford.
I passed by a store with a sign saying they fix laptops. Took my computer in, two days later they returned it to me with everything working for the low price of only $140. They showed me how it all worked, what they installed and then they wrapped it up to return it to me all clean and tidy.
Of course, I am living in a really nice area where there is everything at my finger tips and I am loving my job. That could have a large part to do with how much I am enjoying this place.
I I have been going for runs at any time- early morning, late evening. It's fine. I feel safe because there are always people out and about. I'll see families strolling along the road late in the evening and early morning joggers up before work starts. It's just always full of life here.
There's also a courteousy that I really appreciate. Today, I mentioned barely out loud that I hadn't brought enough food with me for my teaching day. A student nipped out and bought me a sandwich without me even asking. How curteous and kind, how thoughtful.
Sigh. Come visit India if you can. It's lovely here.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Chello Powai!!
So, on my last day off, after heading dowstairs to my beloved Laxmi veggie restaurant for a fresh grape, pineapple and mango juice; I wondered off to my local shopping area. I mentioned that I live in a suburb, quite a distance out of the main city, with my two roomies Melissa and Che. Our area is right by a lake and has everything we would want far as food and shopping. As it was a Sunday, the streets were pretty bare in Mumbai terms. I just cruised around poking my head into stores and markets. Low and behold, I stumbled upon Yoko Sizzlers and discovered a culinary phenomenon.....Japanese/ India cuisine. Japanese and India cuisine...together!!!! Those two things are a match made in heaven and I am signing my name as the witness of their holy union.
Why is it that all food just tastes better here? Even Italian food tastes better here. Weird, but really, I'm not questioning it. I'm just going with the flow of mango juice and happily growing out of my clothes.
Things have been busy. My internet has been down. Generally things are moving ahead. I still teach two classes of the "Year Long Program" (OYP) students for 2-2.5 hours a day each. I now teach Shiamak's professional company once a week and I teach two contemp classes for his regular school. I write and exam and mark 60 exam papers for the students every two weeks and I create a new ballet class for them every two weeks as well. Classes run 6 days a week. I'm working my butt off; but whatever, it is what it is. I don't work as hard as the dancers in the company who often take class in the day, teach in the evening and rehearse into the wee hours of the morning so...I feel happy about that.
Mumbiaians seem to be workers. They also know how to party. Che ran smack into a wedding celebration on his rickshaw ride home the other day. The whole street was closed down for it and he said that people were dancing like CRAZY in the streets. He mentioned seeing men dancing with their chests touching, shaking their whole body and smiling and yelling at each other. Someone caught sight of him and, of course, pulled him out of his rickshaw to join in the celebration.
We really notice that there is less self consiousness here than in Canada. That is fun because it means that students try things, fall over, giggle, make noises, tease each other and generally express themselves freely. They absolutely get me really laughing everyday. Getting them to be free and expressive is not a problem. The tricky thing is helping them to take responsibility for their learning and not depend on us all of the time to tell them exactly what to do. Getting them to genuinely make connections between ideas and bring their own knowledge to dance movement is coming very slowly. But, they are all in their early 20's and I probably struggled with the same things at that age.
I decided to go to the beach today after teaching (Juhu Beach). I stayed about 20 minutes as it only took about 10 minutes before I was totally mauled by vendors, beggars, people who wanted to take my photo and men who wanted my number. In a way, it's going to be strange to go back to Canada and just be a regular person and not treated like such a special prize all of the time. Getting out of that situation was easy. Just a head nod gets a rickshaw and "chello Powai" is all it takes to get me back home. Well.....that plus about 1.5 hours waiting in traffic. 20 minutes at the beach was enough to feel totally swamped and ready for some alone time.
Quickly, for those who haven't been here or who haven't heard all about it, here are some very regular sights here that one would never see in Canada:
-families of 3 or 4 all on one motorbike with the woman riding side sadle. Only the driver wears a helmet here.
-Mansions, condos, apartments, shanty towns and people sleeping on the side of the highway. EVERYWHERE!
-Palm trees
-fresh fruit, fresh fruit, fresh fruit
-many rickshaws weaving through traffic and honking.
-traffic lights that really are only used to light up the city
-a city train that carries 6.8 million people every day. People jump on and off before it stops so that people can actually get on and off.
- beautiful, colourful saris on most of the women
Oh and...me with a big belly stuffing my face with tasty Indian scrumptiousness.
I forgot an important component of my camera, so can't post photos. But, I've posted some from my roomies.
Why is it that all food just tastes better here? Even Italian food tastes better here. Weird, but really, I'm not questioning it. I'm just going with the flow of mango juice and happily growing out of my clothes.
Things have been busy. My internet has been down. Generally things are moving ahead. I still teach two classes of the "Year Long Program" (OYP) students for 2-2.5 hours a day each. I now teach Shiamak's professional company once a week and I teach two contemp classes for his regular school. I write and exam and mark 60 exam papers for the students every two weeks and I create a new ballet class for them every two weeks as well. Classes run 6 days a week. I'm working my butt off; but whatever, it is what it is. I don't work as hard as the dancers in the company who often take class in the day, teach in the evening and rehearse into the wee hours of the morning so...I feel happy about that.
Mumbiaians seem to be workers. They also know how to party. Che ran smack into a wedding celebration on his rickshaw ride home the other day. The whole street was closed down for it and he said that people were dancing like CRAZY in the streets. He mentioned seeing men dancing with their chests touching, shaking their whole body and smiling and yelling at each other. Someone caught sight of him and, of course, pulled him out of his rickshaw to join in the celebration.
We really notice that there is less self consiousness here than in Canada. That is fun because it means that students try things, fall over, giggle, make noises, tease each other and generally express themselves freely. They absolutely get me really laughing everyday. Getting them to be free and expressive is not a problem. The tricky thing is helping them to take responsibility for their learning and not depend on us all of the time to tell them exactly what to do. Getting them to genuinely make connections between ideas and bring their own knowledge to dance movement is coming very slowly. But, they are all in their early 20's and I probably struggled with the same things at that age.
I decided to go to the beach today after teaching (Juhu Beach). I stayed about 20 minutes as it only took about 10 minutes before I was totally mauled by vendors, beggars, people who wanted to take my photo and men who wanted my number. In a way, it's going to be strange to go back to Canada and just be a regular person and not treated like such a special prize all of the time. Getting out of that situation was easy. Just a head nod gets a rickshaw and "chello Powai" is all it takes to get me back home. Well.....that plus about 1.5 hours waiting in traffic. 20 minutes at the beach was enough to feel totally swamped and ready for some alone time.
Quickly, for those who haven't been here or who haven't heard all about it, here are some very regular sights here that one would never see in Canada:
-families of 3 or 4 all on one motorbike with the woman riding side sadle. Only the driver wears a helmet here.
-Mansions, condos, apartments, shanty towns and people sleeping on the side of the highway. EVERYWHERE!
-Palm trees
-fresh fruit, fresh fruit, fresh fruit
-many rickshaws weaving through traffic and honking.
-traffic lights that really are only used to light up the city
-a city train that carries 6.8 million people every day. People jump on and off before it stops so that people can actually get on and off.
- beautiful, colourful saris on most of the women
Oh and...me with a big belly stuffing my face with tasty Indian scrumptiousness.
I forgot an important component of my camera, so can't post photos. But, I've posted some from my roomies.
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